Pa Turnpike to raise speed limit to 70 mph on local100 mile stretch

Pa Turnpike to raise speed limit to 70 mph on local100 mile stretch

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is poised to raise the speed limit to 70 mph on a 100 mile stretch of the toll road in the south central region. The 70 mph speed zone will between the Blue Mountain Interchange (exit 201) and Morgantown Interchange (exit 298) starting Wednesday, July 23.

Turnpike Commission CEO Mark Compton says the highway system in this area can safely accommodate the higher speed limit. Details on the speed increase and future speed limit changes on the 550 plus mile highway system will announced next week.

Until the new 70 mph signs are unveiled, motorists are reminded that they must heed the limits posted on all highway signs. The Pennsylvania State Police says the new 70 mph speed limit, once it goes into effect, will be strictly enforced.

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The facts are known but poorly publicized: rural interstates account for less than 5% of Pennsylvania's traffic deaths. With a fatality rate of 0.60, rural interstates are the safest rural roads in the state — the state-wide rural rate is 3.72 deaths per 100-million-travel-miles — over six times higher!

No surprise to the well-informed. The common causes of crashes are opposing traffic in the next lane; cross traffic at intersections; roadside hazards, and sharp curves. That's why interstates are the safest roads in Pennsylvania.